The Queens

The Italian sex comedy anthologies thrived throughout the Sixties usually starring actress Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni ('BOCCACCIO 70-1962 and 'YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW'-1963 come to mind) and multiple actresses such as the multi directed 'THE WITCHES'-1967 featuring a Euro-lingering Clint Eastwood. Sony Pictures has released 'THE QUEENS' aka 'LE FATE' -1966, an almost forgotten gem from the swinging Sixties showcasing four gorgeous actresses in separate vignettes involving subservient men being twisted around their nimble fingers. The comedy may be dated but the film emerges as an incredible time capsule showing the beauty of the Italian locales and boasting a great lounge music score by Armando Trovajoli (one of his best) mixed with his Italian pop tunes (one segment has a jukebox placed strategically in the middle of the room blaring away the lastest Sixties Euro hit). The beautiful actresses showcased were at the peak of their forms (no pun intended): Monica Vitti already established by her works with Director Michelangelo Antonioni would go on to make Director Joseph Losey's underrated pop art opus 'MODESTY BLAISE' the same year; Claudia Cardinale would go onto make Director Richard Brook's classic heist Western 'THE PROFESSIONALS' also the same year ; Capucine coming off Director Clive Donner's Peter Sellars comedy 'WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT?'- 1965 would go on to work with Director Federico Fellini but it would be actress Raquel Welch who would have an incredibly busy year completing no less than three features ( Director Richard Fleisher's 'FANTASTIC VOYAGE', Director Eduard De Filippo's 'SHOUT LOUD,LOUDER...I DON'T UNDERSTAND' and her most famous, Director Don Chaffey's 'ONE MILLION YEARS B.C.'). There are no slouches in the mens department either: Enrico Maria Salerno would go on to make many thrillers and westerns; the comic Gustone Moschin would go on to star against type as the memorable gangster, Ugo Piazza, in Director Fernando De Leo's masterpiece 'MILANO CALIBRO 9'-1972; Jean Sorel (an Alain Delon lookalike) would go to make Director Luis Bunuel's 'BELLE DE JOUR'-1967 and many Italian giallos; and the great Alberto Sordi who would need a great deal of space for his efforts. Sony releases this Euro guilty pleasure as a DVD-R with gorgeous color tones in a 1.85 ratio with a trailer its only extra. Every one seems to quibble about it being English dubbed but look at the bright side, you get to see the beauty of four gorgeous women making mince meat out of their male stars and bringing a great touch of nostalgia for Italy's golden age of La Dolce Vita.

[THE QUEENS - (1966) - directed by Antonio Pietrangeli, Mario Monicelli, Luciano Salce and Mauro Bolognini] For those like me, there really is no point in reviewing this film - as soon as I saw it showcased iconic sex symbols and actresses Claudia Cardinale, Raquel Welch, Monica Vitti and Capucine and was from the 60's, I bagged and tagged it immediately and, after screening it, was elated I did. It's a fantastic Italian / French co-production dubbed in English comprised of four comedic vignettes, each one by a notable director. But, for the rest of you and the sake of argument, here are a few more details:'Queen Sabrina' tells the tale of an attractive hitchhiker (Monica Vitti) who can't seem to make it home without driving each of her drivers mad with passion and having to beat them away before she recycles her predicament. 'Queen Armenia' revolves around a poor, gorgeous gypsy mother (Claudia Cardinale, who never looked better) who meets and takes advantage of a doctor's proper bedside manner (played straight by Gastone Moschin). This tale was my personal favorite - the timing, comedy, plot details and actors were perfect. The third episode, 'Queen Elena', centers on a husband (Jean Sorel) who can't get the seductive wife next door (Raquel Welch in 'splendid form') out of his mind. There's more than a slight resemblance to 'The Stepford Wives' lurking within this tale, though it predates it by almost a decade. The shortest of the four stories, it nonetheless delivers a big smile when it's over, and left me wanting more. My gluttony aside, it's got great scenery, setting and this time, I'm not referring to Raquel. The final vignette, 'Queen Marta', centers on a wealthy woman (Capucine, always a snapshot of elegance) who, when sober, is an icy, haughty and downright snooty member of high society, but after a few tall drinks, becomes the wanton purring plaything for her newly hired chauffeur (Alberto Sordi, adding a wonderful comedic performance) who can't figure this woman out or keep track of where his rightful place should be. This is another favorite, though all four are extraordinary.All fans of comedy, 60's cinema, European scenery and gorgeous women should be required by law to see this film. Warner Bros. Archive Collection once again delivers a wonderfully clean print with high contrast, great color and crisp audio. The only drawback is that it's not available in Italian with subtitles, but now I'm being petty. No two ways about it, 'The Queens' is a royal treat.

Other reviewers have stared the problems with this video; that it is not in Italian subtitled in English, but dubbed in English. It would be nice to hear the actual voices of these iconic actresses. Also as has been previously mentioned... the DVD doesn't hop between chapters, it forwards ahead about 10 minutes with each advance to a random spot in mid scene... these technical problems keep me from rating this as a 5 star movie.I bought this to add to my collection of movies with Raquel Welch in them, but I must say, I have always appreciated the comedic sensibilities of the 1960's Italian film style. Each of the vignettes is marvelous.

How annoying..in the description for this DVD it says:"Language: Italian Subtitles: English"this is not the case as the movie is dubbed in English and there are no subtitles. Along with this DVD I purchased another foreign movie with English subtitles only to find it too was dubbed in English...but wait it actually did have English subtitles. That makes sense.Don't waste your money and don't believe the descriptions is my advice.

Good movie, very sexy, but the italian humor is sometimes hard to follow, but I enjoyed it.

do not buy this dvd it stinks,the first short movie is fair the rest of them are horrible,the director,s sure did not take there time writing these short stories,the women in these short are to beautiful to waste there time for this garabaga,don;t buy this

great to kill time

The Queens is a nice look back at the 60s and four lovely women.Sincerely,Tom tomshad@consolidated.net

cuando compré el DVD, la información dijo que era un dvd con subtítulos en Inglés.Pero el DVD no tiene subtítulos. ¿Cómo puedo volver yo o intercambiar el dvd?Luis Dutschmann